Identify this switch?

[Redmaus]

Hi I nabbed this on my latest visit to the warehouse that Cindy works at and I got this board.

I like the feel of this switch and I thought it was Cherry at first but I can't find anything on the wiki.

1P9A8619.JPG (786.64 KiB) Viewed 4019 times

[elecplus]

Better light, and the tag from the back, might help them identify it better

[Redmaus]

Good thinking but there is no tag on the back. My camera is out of battery but I can retake it soon

[photekq]

Cherry ML It's the older version though. It's supposed to be quite nice.

EDIT : Looking at it again.. I think it's ML but I'm not so sure anymore..

EDIT 2 : http://www.otd.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_tabl ... x=tandberg

Huh.. my memory didn't serve me correctly. You can see the resemblance though. Same style of caps too!

[Redmaus]

Is it valuable in any way?

[Chyros]

Cherry ML It's the older version though. It's supposed to be quite nice.

EDIT : Looking at it again.. I think it's ML but I'm not so sure anymore..

EDIT 2 : http://www.otd.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_tabl ... x=tandberg

Huh.. my memory didn't serve me correctly. You can see the resemblance though. Same style of caps too!

Nope, it's neither STB switches nor ML. I have some of them, they're a transverse contact switch that are mounted fully back-to-back and iirc they're MX compatible. Let me see if I can find what it was again.

EDIT: bang, found it. It's a Sasse switch, see wiki/Sasse_SPST . The wiki page for some reason refers to them as "Sasse SPST" which is a rather useless moniker as all keyboard switches are SPST.

[OleVoip]

Yep, these are Sasse switches. We don't know the proper trivial name of it. The wiki page name has been changed a few days ago by Daniel Beardsmore since he thinks that the previous name, Sasse 200MN, sounds like a part number. I agree that "SPST" seems pointless (although the Siemens STB11 switch was designed to allow for a double-pole version, too), esp. since Sasse made similar switches that also were SPST but had another keycap mount.

[seebart]

Very nice find Redmaus, looks like it might need some cleaning.

[Redmaus]

I will be selling it, how much do you think its worth?

[seebart]

Difficult to say with obscure ones like this. It still needs serious cleaning. What does the switch feel like?

[Redmaus]

They feel like a more thockier mx black to me. I really like these but I need to make some money off my boards.

[seebart]

Let's see some pics of it clean then please.

[Redmaus]

K I'll get on that, I touched it once and had to wash my hands several times

[seebart]

I hear you, take your time. Best work like this...

homy.jpg (9.08 KiB) Viewed 3865 times

[Redmaus]

Or this:

divingsuit.jpg (18.23 KiB) Viewed 3857 times

[Chyros]

Yep, these are Sasse switches. We don't know the proper trivial name of it. The wiki page name has been changed a few days ago by Daniel Beardsmore since he thinks that the previous name, Sasse 200MN, sounds like a part number. I agree that "SPST" seems pointless (although the Siemens STB11 switch was designed to allow for a double-pole version, too), esp. since Sasse made similar switches that also were SPST but had another keycap mount.

It's possible that the switches Daniel acquired were marked "SPST" by the manufacturer and he didn't know the abbreviation stands for a type of contact mechanism rather than a model number. I didn't know the wiki page was recently changed to this name tbh. 200MN sounds much more logical as a name for the switch than SPST.

The loose ones I've tried weren't bad by the way, they felt pretty good. But trying out loose switches usually gives a very poor impression. It's an interesting design though, as the contacts are mounted transversely rather than in the more traditional way.

[XMIT]

I will be selling it, how much do you think its worth?

Is that really your main concern? There is a separate thread for "what is this worth?" type questions.

Try to think more about what you can offer to this community, and less about how much money this community can give you.

[Redmaus]

The alps vortex has made me in need of funds. I am hungry for money!

I will of course post my finds, as I need to format the vast amount of photos I have already taken.

[terrycherry]

I'm glad to see this variant keyboard having that switch!
Could you take a whole photo of the keyboard? Its great if it have some label on it.
The keycap looks like the Siemens keyboard. It could be use for the Siemens machine.
Also I have two China made AT keyboard(can work on modern PC)
Can sell one for the reasonable price.

[Redmaus]

yeah I am still cleaning the caps though. The grime is next level

[Chyros]

I will be selling it, how much do you think its worth?

Is that really your main concern? There is a separate thread for "what is this worth?" type questions.

Try to think more about what you can offer to this community, and less about how much money this community can give you.

It's funny you mention it, I had thought about commenting on:

Is it valuable in any way?

but didn't really know how to say it xD .

[XMIT]

Right. This is a hobby. There is a place for profiteers and it is called the Marketplace. Say hi to Ellipse when you're over there.

Here, in some cases, there is some money to be made off of keyboards. But profit is not what drives us here. Knowledge is. That's a neat key switch that I had not seen! Thanks for sharing it, what a great find. Clean it up, gather some data, post a review and nice photos if you can.

I think that rescuing boards from the recycler and sharing them for sale - at a modest price - is great. It is what drives this hobby. Folks like elecplus and to a lesser extent ohaimark set a good example here. I get the impression that you've been watching some eBay sales, saw the going rates for anything with blue Alps, and started seeing dollar signs.

When you do a good job the reward comes naturally. But historically profiteering has not been well received on the forum.

[scottc]

I completely agree, XMIT. I'm sick and tired of the blatant profiteering happening around the community recently.

[photekq]

But historically profiteering has not been well received on the forum.

Has it? I hadn't noticed. Usually when a long-time member makes obvious profit nobody really cares too much. It's only when we have members come here for the sole reason of profiting that people get annoyed.

I know I've never had an issue with it. Personally, profiteers only bother me when they pretend not to be profiteers and act holier than thou

[XMIT]

It's hard not to appreciate the irony of this, as someone who has sold quite a lot of keyboards here. But I've also sold blue Alps boards for $35 (oops!) so I think we're even.

Alan Adler, the inventor of the AeroPress (a sort of fancy french press like thing for making coffee) was asked at some point, why do you only sell the AeroPress for $25? The implication was that people might be willing to pay as much as $60 for it. His response was that, at $25 he was more than able to cover his expenses and make a modest profit.

My goal in sales is and always has been to get neat boards to forum members, and to do so at a price point that covers my expenses, makes the hobby accessible, and enables me to find more great things. The $400 blue Alps is a peculiarity. The $40 filthy Model M is more of a staple.

Back to topic: if Redmaus wants to sell this board I think it should be in the Classifieds. Has anyone else had much experience with these Sasse switches? Are they: linear or tactile? Light or heavy? How much travel do they have and where is the actuation? Are they well sealed or do they get dirty? Etc.

[ohaimark]

On topic information: none. Spoilered to keep the thread looking nice.

Spoiler:

When I arrived I was shamelessly looking to make a buck. I was also trying to go through as many switches as possible. I wasn't collecting so much as switch testing. Then I received that DC-3014, which is a "Grail" 'board for many collectors. I knew (after having tried Model F, M, and Minty Blue Alps switches) I had experienced some of the best keypresses the typing world could offer.

I started liking the community, which made me move away from eBay and lower my profit margins. It also put me on XMIT's radar, which yielded a unique opportunity that you'll hear about in a few weeks.

My primary goal is to find light stock switches (35~50 g) that are smooth, in production (so I can use them without feeling guilty), and durable. Gateron Clears are a passable interim solution.

My secondary goal is to build an eclectic collection of keyboards. Hoarding Blue Alps seems passe to me, probably because I obtained mine quickly and easily. I also feel guilty when I type on them, which is obviously a point of contention.

Does that make me a keyboard hipster?